EXTERIOR. 



59 



best. It becomes laterally round from the apophyses of 

 which the line of the summit should be slightly bent 

 inwards without this groove being sensibly apparent. 



The back, above the ribs, generally presents a down- 

 ward curve, which, if the concavity be too prominent, 

 causes the animal to be designated as hollow-backed ; 

 contrariwise, if the dorsal spine is convex or arched, the 

 horse is said to be roach-backed, and especially adapted 

 for bearing burdens, being defective in the flexibility 

 required in saddle horses. 



A dipped back is one which descends in a straight line 

 from the summit of the apophyses of the lumbar vertebrae, 

 the internal angle of the hip, to the base of the withers, a 

 line the more inclined since the croup has a marked 



Fig- 3i- 



elevation above the withers, as is often seen in race- 

 horses, with whom this conformation accelerates the 

 movements of the fore limbs, constantly seeking to 

 alleviate the unequal distribution of the body weight 

 entailed on the anterior, by this motive power coming 

 from the posterior limbs. 



Loins (13, fig. 31). — The lumbars follow the back in a 

 straight line. This is what is designated by the term 



